Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.
Slight AU warning.
Don't forget to review when you are finished reading!

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Flowers Growing In My Mind

Chapter I – Rain, Carrier of Memories

It was raining. Grey clouds covered the skies over Edge, with lightning forking beautiful patterns in between the clouds. However, people continued walking casually down the street, with the occasional automobile humming down the road, splashing the sidewalks. Edge was a very cleanly city after the Geostigma pandemic of a year ago. No one knew what caused it, all they knew was it was cured by rain. In place of the Meteor monument was a statue of a beautiful woman, with rain falling all around her. She had a long dress and a ribbon in her wavy hair. Her fingers were intertwined in prayer. Shin-Ra had erected this monument with the help of a few people who were directly involved with the capture of the three silver-haired men that kidnapped all the Geostigma-infested children. Perhaps this was their vision of a water goddess of some sort. Now, people never left the rain. To them, rain was a form of healing. It washed away their sins and their disease. However, to some people, the rain didn't do anything but make you think. It was like a memory was sealed inside each raindrop, and every time one fell, the seal would burst open and release what was inside. It always made him remember, at least.

A delicious smell wafted from the kitchen of the large bar teeming with people, eating and waiting for their midday meal; some on work breaks, some regulars, some just hungry and tired of cooking. Orders were being thrown in a pattern; to the waiters, to the bar hostess, to the two cooks, back to the hostess. The hostess, although almost always much too busy, was still a sweet and attractive woman, with long dark brown hair and ruby red eyes. Her outfit was mainly black, with a pink ribbon tied to her arm. Customers noticed that her friends, who came in every now and then, also wore ribbons somewhere. 7th Heaven was famous for strange, yet friendly customers, which made it an interesting place to eat at. Plus, the food was extravagant, all recipes created by the owner and hostess, Tifa Lockhart.

"One seafood salad with croutons!" Tifa yelled into the kitchen. She looked at the drink order, and began to get out the appropriate bottles and glasses. "Vodka and white wine? Combined? What are these people thinking?" Tifa wondered to herself. She chuckled and began to mix the drink. She checked the clock. 1:30pm. 7th Heaven's busiest hour. She was waiting for her friend, who she was going to meet with at 4:00pm, after the bar closed. The rain pounded hard on the windows, rivulets forming on the glass. She placed the drink on the counter and took the bowl of salad from the chef. "Number 12!" she called, placing the bowl next to the drink. The man approached the counter, and Tifa recognized him immediately. "Reeve!" she said in surprise. The handsome man smiled at her and took the salad. "I was going to ask how you were doing, but it seems that you are well," he said. Tifa nodded. "I'm good, very good actually. I haven't seen you in a week! How's the restoration going?" she asked. It had always been odd, speaking with Reeve. She had known him for almost a year as a stuffed toy named Cait Sith, who had always been a comical little guy. Seeing him in the flesh was so...strange. He ate the salad slowly, licking a bit of dressing from his well-trimmed goatee. Tifa giggled. "Oh, it's not that amusing," he said in his deep, sexy voice. Another thing that was odd about him – Cait Sith had a goofy voice with a Scottish accent, which sharply contrasted with Reeve. Even though she had contact with Reeve for two years, it still amazed her. "The restoration is actually breezing along. We're onto Sector 5 already. Mind you, we had to skip Sectors 3 and 4 temporarily, but everything's going well. We're onto the playground. We want to expand it, and make it into a sort of park," said Reeve, sipping his heavy drink. Tifa was handed another order. "Strawberry bundt cake, hold the chocolate sauce!" she called, sticking the order note onto the holder so the cooks could read them. "A park? That sounds wonderful! Be sure to add some food carts," she said. A raindrop hit the window and she suddenly remembered. "Oh! What about the church?" she asked. "It's being reconstructed, don't worry. It's actually a beautiful thing—the pool of water is still there, shining as clear as ever. And the flowers have regrown, surrounding the pool. It's magnificent," he said. Tifa smiled. "She's never going to let those things die," she said, poking the tip of his nose, "just you remember that. So don't damage anything!" She heard a crash in the kitchen. "Oh great...I'll be a sec," she said, running into the kitchen to see what had taken place

Reeve chuckled and continued eating as Tifa ran off, the long back of her overskirt lifting up as she ran. The twenty-three year old woman was in good shape, and was running a successful business. He knew he shouldn't worry about her, but he was a man who was prone to worrying. After the events of Meteor three years ago, she seemed to take on a new personality, or...at least...she tried to. Reeve knew exactly who it was she was attempting to act like. Despite this, she was never successful. He admired her ability to try, however. He took a large drink of his vodka and wine mixture. He had the metabolism equivalent to a squirrel on stimulants. He never worried about getting drunk. He smiled when she returned. Perhaps he could give her pleasurable company until her bar closed. It was his day off, anyway.

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"Always with the ants! They never approach other baskets; only us!" Aeris Gainsborough said in an irritated tone. She swatted them away, and froze a few with the Ice spell. She tucked some of her pink dress underneath her knees in order to prevent her knees from getting grass stains. She flicked an ant off of her sweet roll. "Perhaps they're attracted to your spiritual aura," said Cloud Strife, poking at his bento. "If they were, there wouldn't only be ants approaching," Aeris said with a sigh. Cloud closed his eyes. It didn't matter if ants were covering their picnic. He was here with Aeris, on the top of a simple hill, gazing down at the scenery below. Aeris sipped her tea, first checking to see if any ants were in it. "Well, at least the spot is gorgeous. I can always count on you to pick the best place!" she said with a giggle. Cloud chuckled and looked into her deep, alluring jade eyes. He felt a tickling sensation on his arm and he looked down to see an ant crawling around his skin. He flicked the ant off and began inspecting his arm for bites. "Cloud?" he heard Aeris ask across from him. "Yeah?" he asked, still looking for a bite. "Cloud..." she repeated. Cloud looked up at her, about to reply, when his eyes widened and his heart began to beat faster. He broke into a cold sweat.

Aeris was staring at him, with eyes like a snake's or a cat's. It was horrible...Cloud suddenly remembered Sephiroth, Kadaj, Yazoo, Loz. She grinned, looking like a female Sephiroth. "Why did you let me die?" she asked. "What are you...doing?" he asked, barely taking in anything. Suddenly the hill and the picnic disappeared, leaving him a black realm. Aeris disappeared, and then reappeared again, behind him. He turned around just in time to see Sephiroth thrust his long, powerful blade through Aeris' back. Her eyes widened, and she fell forward, the blade still inside her. Cloud's mind started to act on fast forward. He began to shake. This happened before...three years ago...she was killed. Killed. Murdered. He could hear his voice whispering in his ear. She was dead. She had been killed. She was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Sephiroth smirked at him as he withdrew the blade, causing Aeris to jerk upright, and then fall. Cloud didn't prevent her from hitting the dark floor. He was too busy shaking, tears coming out of his eyes. "Cloud...you let her die...you killed her. You let me kill her," Sephiroth said in a mocking tone. "Help me, Cloud..." croaked Aeris. He looked up and stared at her. Her hand was reaching towards him. "Help me...don't let me die..."

Cloud woke up sobbing, practically unaware of anything around him.

Needless to say, Tifa never did get to meet with him.

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It sounds a bit like a one-shot, huh? But it's not, don't worry. I know Dirge of Cerberus' plot should be happening right now, but I'm omitting that from the story, so it's slightly AU. I guess it sounded like Reeve and Tifa were hitting it off...no, sorry, no romance between them. Reeve is pretty hot though, huh? Oh, and for those wondering about the statue, yes it is who you think it is. Anyway, review if you will! Don't worry, all the party members we know and love will arrive sooner or later. Yes, I know Cloud should finally have accepted Aeris' death, but this is a fanfiction. So...he's still a poor miserable bastard. I'm cruel. Any criticism? Feel free to point out things I'm doing wrong grammatically or any crucial points I missed, I'll try to fix them. I do not tolerate flaming/bashing on any character. I would like clean, constructive comments. Thanks for reading, see you next chapter!